Office-indicator



( No Model.)

J. A. TOBIN. OFFICE l-NDIUATOR.

No. 571,585. Patented Nov. 17, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT Orrice.

JAMES A. TOBIN, OF LANCASTER, OlllO.

OFFICE-INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 571,585, dated November 17, 1896.

Application filed July 18, 1896. $erial No. 599.666. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMES A. TOBIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lancaster, in the county of Fairfield and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oliicc-Indicators; and I do declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has relation to improvements in oiticeindicators; and the object is to provide a cheap, simple, convenient, and durable indicator, with little or no liability to dcrangement; and to this end the novelty con sists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of the same, as will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings the same figures of reference indicate the same parts of the invention.

Figure l is a front view of my improved indicator as it appears from the outside of the office-door. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the door, showing the indicator swung around for adjustment. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the officc-door and indicator. Fig. l is a vertical section taken on a line with cylinder-shafts when the indicator is swung a short distance from the door, and Fig. 5 isa detail section of one of the lockingpins.

1 represents the door, and 2 a glass panel in the same.

3 is a rectangular case provided with hinges at l, by means of which it is secured in a vertical position to the inside of the door, so that its upper portion 5 will be visible through the glass panel 2 from the outside of the door.

(S is a spring-catch secured to the side 7 of the case, and when said case is closed against the door the beveled end of 8 the catch slides over the head 9 of the stud 10 in the door and secures the case in place. By pressing on the button 12 on the spring-catch 6 the beveled end 8 is forced inwardly, so as to clear the head of the stud 10, and the casemay be swung around on its hinges for adjustment, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

The face 13 of the hinged case 3 is formed with two pairs of transverse parallel slots or slits 1% l5 and 1G 17. A. cylindrical roller 18 is mounted in the sides 7 7 near the bottom of the case 3, to which one end of a flexible band 19 is secured. This hand passes upwardly inside the case in the rear of its face 13, passes outwardly through the slit 17, over the solid part 20 of the face, thence rearwardly through the slit 16 and downwardly parallel with the face, and its end is secured to a cylindrical roller 21, likewise secured in the sides a short distance above and parallel with the first-mentioned roller 18. Suitable announcements are placed on the face of the flexible band transversely across its face, and by manipulating the knobs 18" 21' the matter on the face of the band is alternately exposed to view between the slits 16 1'7. Similar rollers 22 23 are likewise mounted in the sides of the case, the flexible band 2% wound on them, passing outwardly through the slit 15, upwardly over the solid portion 25 of the face, upwardly and inwardly through the slit 14, thence back to the adjoining roller 23. Suitable announcements are likewise supplied to the face of this flexible band 24, which are visible on the face of the case between the slits 14 and 15.

The rollers 22 23 are provided with operating-knobs 22 23', by means of which the rollers and flexible band may be operated to present the various announcements to view.

26 is a pin sliding freely in the side '7 of the case, and its inner pointed end is in line with the shaft or journal of each of the rollers. This pin is provided with a spiral spring which normally presses said pin outwardly from the shaft of the roller, so that its head 27 projects a short distance from the face of the case. In this position the rollers maybe freely rotated in either direction, but when the case is closed to against the door the pins are forced inwardly by the door, their inner pointed ends projecting into the shafts of the rollers and rigidly locking them in place. This prevents the unauthorized tampering with the indicator when it is closed against the door.

Although I have specifically described the construction and relative arrangement of the several elements of my invention, I do not desire to be confined to the same, as such changes or modifications may be made as the case being formed with slits through which a portion of the bands may be exposed to view, and a series of locking-pins located in the side of the case, and adapted to lock the rollers when the case is closed against the door, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I here-unto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES A. TOBIN.

\Vitnesses: I

J. O. HITE, CHAS. M. OOURTRIGHT. 

